Redevelopment projects to uproot 871 trees in Mumbai

Development will continue to sound the death knell of the city's trees, as a total of 200 trees are set to be cut and another 671 will be transplanted. 

The BMC's tree authority on Tuesday cleared a bunch of proposals in the tree authority meeting that essentially require the trees to be replanted or chopped. 

As per the authority, there were proposals to transplant 797 trees and cut 239 trees across the city, mostly for redevelopment projects.

The affected trees are concentrated in and around Andheri, Kanjurmarg and Dahisar. The proposals asked for transplanting 272 and cutting 38 trees in S-ward; transplanting 53 in Dahisar; and cutting 14 and transplanting 72 in Andheri.

The decision on cutting 254 trees and transplanting 2,044 trees in Aarey colony for the proposed Metro shed has been deferred by the committee till the chief minister-appointed committee to look into the matter submits its report.

About the tree census at Aarey colony, authority member Abhijeet Chavan demanded that the state government should bear the Rs49.5 lakh cost of counting trees as Aarey is state's land.

Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte, who heads the tree authority, also asked for an inquiry to be carried out into why hearing notices reach later than the scheduled date to people who object to certain proposals made at the authority meetings.